Fragile
by Bugs-n-Suds
Summary: Nick takes care of an ill Sara. NS pairing, SGreg friendship.
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing, although I'd takefree samples if they're being offered.

Author's Notes: Before I start, I want to say that this will more likely than not be a Nick and Sara story, with a Greg and Sara friendship. What can I say, my two favorite guys, and my favorite girl...it's hard to choose. But if I continue with that direction for this story, I've got another planned where the men and their roles are opposite, involving a very difficult murder case. Anyway, that is also being written, and will be posted as soon as this one is complete.

_-Bugs 'N' Suds-_

**Fragile:**

Sara coughed loudly, her hand balled into a fist, covering her mouth, as she grimaced. What an awful time to be coming down with something, just as she was making headway on her biggest case of the year.

Her throat had been scratchy since the night before, but now it was raw and sore from her coughing, and the mere act of swallowing was creating the most unpleasant churning sensation in her stomach, spots dancing before her eyes. She hadn't been this tired since she last pulled a triple. Coughing again, she braced her body and willed herself not to vomit on the evidence. She needed some time off, only if she could crack this case.

"I brought you some water." Greg said, placing the bottle down gently on the table, "And some cold medicine."

Sara didn't want to waste the little of the energy she had left by looking up, so she hoarsely mumbled a quick "thanks" before yawning and getting back to work. Only if yawning didn't make her throat hurt even worse...

"You should go home and get some rest." Greg tried again, knowing his attempts would be futile. Reasoning with Sara was like trying to convince Grissom that Marilyn Manson was cool, it wasn't something that went over very well. "You look awful."

"I feel awful." Sara croaked in admittance, "But I'm so close, I know I am." She cleared her throat, hoping it would dull the ache, but realizing that it may never happen. Maybe she was destined to die a slow, painful death by the flu.

Greg sat down next to Sara, looking at her closely, "Seriously Sara, you look like crap. You need to see a doctor."

"It's just a cold, at worst, the flu. As soon as I nail this guy, I'll go home and take off however long I need to recuperate. Until then, I've got a case to solve." Sara insisted, coughing again more violently and gagging on some mucus that had gotten dislodged from her throat.

Greg raised her eyebrows, offering Sara the water once more, "You're really sick, just go home already." He smirked, "Unless you want me to go home with you, I can play doctor and"

"Shut up Greg." Sara moaned, her voice hoarse, "Since you're obviously not doing anything, could you get me a soda?"

Greg shook his head, "No way, juice and water heal the body, not over-sugared, over-caffeinated, liquid poison."

"You like soda almost as much as you like your coffee, don't give me that bull." Sara muttered, "I'm almost done for the night, I swear."

Greg pulled the folder towards him, "Is this the double homicide?"

"Officer McDonald's daughter and son-in-law." Sara replied, "Both were found bound and gagged, full of bullet holes. The daughter, Mara, was shot 19 times, the son-in-law, Chris, was shot 23. No hairs, no fibers, no prints, nothing. If I don't find something to go off of, it's going to be unsolved, and I refuse to let that happen." She looked like she wanted to say more, but was overcome with another coughing fit.

Greg pulled her to her feet, practically dragging her to the door, "You're going home Sara, you won't be any good to the case if you hack up a lung on the evidence."

Greg, expecting a rude or sarcastic comeback, was surprised when Sara was silent. He turned to look at her, and as he did, she fell unconscious in his arms.

"Woah, is she alright?" Nick asked, rushing down the hall, where he had just exited the men's room, "Sara?"

Greg laid Sara on the floor, tapping her cheeks gently, "Sara? Oh my God, this isn't funny, Sara!"

Sara's eyes fluttered, and she started to cough once more, rising into a sitting position with her hand over her chest, one hand covering her mouth as she irritated the already sore muscles of her body, "What...?"

"Sara, are you okay? Do you want one of us to bring you home?" Nick asked worriedly, putting a hand on her arm, "You look terrible Sar, what are you even doing here?"

Greg smirked, "I've been asking her that all night." He placed a hand on Sara's forehead, "You're burning up, I'm going to drive you home."

"I've got to finish my case." Sara moaned, coughing again, pulling herself to her feet, "I'll be okay."

Nick shook his head, "I don't think so. Greg can sort through your case, I'll drive you home, I was leaving anyway."

"Does Cath know you're pulling triples now?" Greg asked, his eyebrow raised, "I didn't expect to see you still here."

"I didn't expect to see the two of you either." Nick replied, "I guess it's a good thing though."

Nick took Sara's arm in his hand, "Come on, let's get you heavily medicated and into bed."

"I've always wanted to do that." Greg said with a sly smile, "Sure you don't want to work on her case, Nicky, and then I can drug her and take her to bed?"

Sara shook her head tiredly, "Greg, not tonight."

"So are you saying that one night you'll let me?" Greg asked as the other two walked away, "I'll call you!" He shouted once they were almost out of hearing distance.

The drive to Sara's apartment with filled with tense silence. Nick stole a glance at Sara, noticing how pale and thin she had gotten since the team had been split up. He suddenly realized how little time they'd spent together since being separated, he didn't know the first thing about Sara's current life, only what he had heard through the grapevine, and the griping Catherine had done after their blowup a few weeks earlier. He saw how easily she and Greg interacted, and he couldn't help but feel jealous, he used to be her best friend, what had happened?

"Sara, I'm sorry we haven't gotten a chance to do anything together lately." Nick said softly, "I miss you."

"It's hard to schedule social gatherings when we work such strange hours." Sara replied, "It's not your fault, it's Ecklie's. But I do miss you too. You and Warrick, and hell, sometimes even Catherine."

"How's it going with Sophia?" Nick asked, unsure if Sophia was a safe topic to discuss with Sara, "Is she working out?"

Sara nodded, replying sadly after a sneeze, "She's brilliant, she can do no wrong...at least according to Grissom...to him, she's perfect."

"We used to say the same about you when you first arrived." Nick reminded her, "No one's perfect, and although he doesn't call her on her faults, it doesn't mean he doesn't see them."

"He took her out to dinner." Sara replied, the hurt evident in his voice, "He spent hours with me after my fight with Catherine, talking to me, renewing the friendship we lost years ago, and then he turns around and takes Sophia out to dinner. He's taken out you and Warrick, Catherine, now Sophia, but never once me." She sighed tiredly, "I just don't have the energy to care anymore."

Nick watched her lean her head against the window, "I'm sure it was just an oversight on his part, not taking you out. Surely you don't think he's in a relationship with her?"

Sara coughed several times, the pain in her chest radiating from as low as her stomach to the top of her head, wheezing for breath until she was sure she was about to pass out.

"Maybe I should take you to the hospital, that sounds really bad." Nick said softly, his voice etched with concern, "How long have you been sick?"

Sara shut her eyes, a chill running through her body, "I'm okay Nicky, it's just the flu, I'll be fine in a few days. I just want to go home, soak in a nice, warm bath, and sleep for...oh, a year or so." She sniffled, fishing in her pocket for a tissue before sneezing three more times. "Can we stop by the drugstore? I need some more cold medicine."

"No problem." Nick replied, "Anything you want."

An hour later, they were pulling into Sara's apartment complex, Nick's features still etched with worry as he eyed Sara sleeping with her head pressed against the window, her breathing still shallow, even in sleep.

He unfastened her seatbelt, leaning over and brushing his hand against her arm softly, "Sara? Sar?"

Sara's eyes weakly fluttered open, and she turned to Nick in shock, "I fell asleep?"

He nodded with a soft smile, "You're home now, I'm going to walk you upstairs."

He walked around to her side of the car, opening the door and taking her by the hand, and then by the waist, as she swayed in his grasp. "Woah, I guess I wasn't ready to get up yet." she whispered, half-joking, leaning her head against his arm. Oh, how nice it felt to lay her head against something. Pillows would be heavenly.

They had almost made it to the door when she started to cough again, doubling over and trying to catch a breath, her face turning bright red from lack of oxygen. Seconds later, coughing turned into gagging, and seconds after that, she had gotten sick on the concrete, barely being held up by Nick, spots dancing in front of her eyes as she moaned weakly.

"Let's get you upstairs and into bed, you're a mess." Nick said softly, debating on whether or not to just pick her up and carry her into her apartment, since he was practically carrying her as it was. "Jesus, Sar, you're burning up. You need to see a doctor."

She looked up at Nick, her vision blurry as she tried to stay coherent and convince her body to move as she wanted it to. "Nicky?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" Nick replied, not thinking twice about using the endearing term.

Sara giggled, "You called me sweetheart." Her speech slurred from a mixture of fatigue and strong medicine, "You're very cute, Nicky."

"So are you, even if your nose is a little drippy." Nick replied, taking her keys out of her hand and opening the door, "And even if you got a little bit of puke on my shoes."

Sara, even though she was very disoriented, turned a deep shade of pink with embarrassment, "Sorry." She mumbled, stumbling to the couch and collapsing on it, leaning her head on the side arm. "I'll buy you a new pair."

"I'm a country boy, I can wash them." Nick replied, "You need to be in bed. I'll bring you a glass of juice and some Tylenol, you put your pajamas on. I'll get you set up here, then I'll head home. I'll stop by before I go in tonight, though."

Sara nodded, her head feeling like it was full of lead, and she stumbled into her bedroom, barely able to focus enough to get her pajamas on, falling onto the bed and not even bothering to get under the covers. Before Nick came into her room, she was already asleep.

Nick placed the juice and Tylenol on her bedside table, along with the bottle of cold medicine they had bought earlier at the drug store. He found a light blanket at the end of her bed, and he covered her with it, placing his hand on her forehead to make sure she wasn't too warm, deciding to go ahead and let her sleep. He scribbled her a quick note, leaving it with the medications. He was about to leave, when he remembered her earlier episode outside, and grabbed the plastic trash can from her bathroom and placed it next to her bed, just in case. Sure that all of the bases were covered, he grabbed his jacket and let himself out the front door.

He returned at 3:00 that afternoon, letting himself in with the spare key she had given him when she had taken leave after the DUI incident. He had watered her plant while she had gone back to San Francisco, and had never remembered to give her back her key. He wasn't too surprised to see that her bedroom door was still halfway open, as he had left it, nothing else touched in the apartment. She probably hadn't even woke up since he left that morning.

He quietly walked into her bedroom, not wanting to disturb her, and groaned at what he saw. This must be how it felt to have a child. She had gotten sick while sleeping, and from her position, it was clear she hadn't stirred since he had left. He pulled back the blanket he had covered her with, tossing it into the clothes hamper, and then walked over to the side of her bed, sitting down and shaking her shoulder gently, "Sara? Sweetie, wake up."

Sara moaned softly, but she was still deeply asleep. He brushed his hand against her forehead, frowning at how much warmer she was now, as compared to earlier, and he shook her shoulder again, "Sara, come on darlin', open your eyes."

Sara's eyes fluttered open, and she sharply inhaled as the sunlight in the room stung her eyes, "Nick?"

She looked around, her face growing red with embarrassment again, "Please tell me I didn't. God, how old am I? Four?"

"It's okay." Nick soothed, "Let's get you changed out of those clothes, and I'll remake your bed for you. Do you want some water or anything?"

Sara sleepily nodded, swaying the moment she rose to her feet. Nick grabbed her arm to steady her, and her eyes began to roll back slightly, causing him to push her back down where she had been laying, "Lay down and don't pass out. I'll get you some new pajamas. Where do I look?"

"Second drawer from the top, left side." Sara moaned miserably, "My head hurts. Ugh, my stomach hurts."

Nick glanced back at her pale face, "Are you going to puke again?"

"God, I hope not." Sara replied, making a face, "I don't think so. But let's not even mention the word, just to be safe."

"Aw, our little Sara's squeamish all of a sudden." Nick replied with a smirk, carrying a pair of red drawstring pants and a matching tank top to the bed, "Do you need help?"

"You just want to see me naked. And here I was thinking Greg was the pervert." Sara teased, her words slurring slightly, although she was trying to remain upbeat. She was embarrassed that Nick, anyone actually, had seen her like this, and even more embarrassed that she had thrown up, more than once, and he had been left taking care of her. She never got sick, she couldn't fathom why this was happening to her now. All she wanted to do was bury herself under her comforter and hide for years, until they both forgot this day.

Nick rolled his eyes, helping her sit and sliding her shirt over her head, "You don't look like you can even sit on your own, much less strip. I promise I won't look too hard, though, okay?"

"Yeah, right. Take advantage of a sick girl, why don't you?" Sara muttered, shivering as he helped her slide her pants off, "I'm so cold."

Nick placed his hand on her forehead, "You're still running a fever, let me get your bed remade, and I'll get you a warm blanket, okay?"

"I'm going to be sick." Sara muttered in response, scrambling off of the bed with more energy than she had shown since he arrived, barely making it to the bathroom before being violently sick, collapsing to her knees and trying to stop the dizziness that was overpowering her.

Nick put fresh sheets on Sara's bed, poured her a glass of water, then walked into the bathroom, wetting a rag and pressing it against Sara's forehead, "You don't look so good."

"Gee, and I thought you were supposed to be the sensitive one." Sara muttered, angry with herself for being so weak. She started to gag again, and she forced herself not to throw up. She wasn't going to embarrass herself again in front of Nick. Rubbing her face with her hands, she let out an irritated sigh. She hated being sick, from the headache to the nausea, it was the worst experience of her life.

Nick pulled her to her feet after she announced that she wanted to go back to bed, and he slowly led her to her bedroom, covering her up with a sheet and quilt, "I was going to put the down comforter on the bed, but I thought it would be too warm."

"I'm cold." Sara replied sleepily, "No such thing as too warm."

Nick handed her a glass of water and the Tylenol, "You're running a fever. Do you think you could keep this down?"

Sara nodded, swallowing the pills before letting her head fall back to the pillow, already asleep before he could pull the blanket around her. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed Catherine's cell number.

"Cath, it's Nick." Nick began, but was cut off by Catherine's angry voice, "Do you know what time it is? We were supposed to have a team meeting this afternoon at 3:30, and it's already after 4. You do remember that you are supposed to be in at 4, every day, right?"

"I'm sorry Cath." Nick apologized, shutting Sara's door as he walked into the living room, "I'm at Sara's, she's really sick, and I got caught up over here."

"That's not a good excuse." Catherine snapped, still upset from her confrontation with the younger woman a few weeks back, "Sara's a big girl, she can fend for herself. We've got a stack of cases, and there's only 3 of us, so we need to get cracking. I expect to see you in 15 minutes."

"Cath-" Nick started, but only to be interrupted by Catherine again, "I know I sound like a bitch, but Ecklie's on my ass, and we need to get our jobs done, before we don't have a job to do. Sara will be fine for a few hours on her own, blame it on me, make me the bitch, but get in here, now."

With an angry sigh, Nick pressed the 'end' button, dialing another number. "Hey, Greg, it's Nick. Can you come by Sara's and stay with her, in case she needs anything? She's not doing too good, and I need to get in before Catherine catches a heart attack."

**TBC**


	2. To work, or not to work

_Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think, and be honest...not much N/S in this chapter, but it leads to the next one, where there will be tons of our favorite duo. _

Chapter Two: 

"I'll be there in 10 minutes, go ahead and go to work, just leave the door unlocked for me." Greg replied, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he slid on a pair of jeans, stumbling to his front door as he grabbed sunglasses and keys. He had worked on Sara's case until 11 am, when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and had gone to sleep just after noon. While 4 hours was an improvement, it definitely wasn't enough for him at the moment, but he couldn't leave his friend out in the cold. Maybe he'd be able to catch a few more minutes at Sara's. 

True to his word, Greg walked into Sara's apartment 10 minutes later, shutting the door and creeping into her bedroom to check on her. She was curled into a ball on her side, her pale face drenched in sweat. Even though she was covered, he could see her trembling slightly from what seemed to be chills. Taking a washcloth Nick had left beside the bed, he wiped her face gently, gazing down on her in concern, he hated for anyone he loved to be sick, especially one of his best friends. 

Her eyes sleepily opened, "Greg? Is that you?" She mumbled, almost incoherently, "Where's Nicky?" 

"He had to go to work, you know Catherine's a slave driver to those boys." Greg said with a soft chuckle, "Looks like you're stuck with me. I'm going to call Grissom and let him know I'll be late tonight, and you won't be coming in. Nick and I figured we could take turns until you're feeling better." 

Sara shook her head weakly, "I don't need a babysitter, Greg, I'm okay." 

"You look like one of those bodies laid out on Doc's table." Greg replied bluntly, "Let us take care of you, that way you can get better and we can go back to being mean and teasing." 

Sara gave him a soft smile, shutting her eyes again and murmuring "Thank you." 

She had only been asleep for a few minutes when Greg's cell phone started to ring, "Sanders." He said, flipping it open. 

"Greg, it's Grissom. Major case, I need you to meet us on Maple and Constitution. Everyone's on board, Swing's meeting us there as well." 

"I'll be there in half an hour." Greg replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Another big case meant another long shift. Moments after he had hung up his cell, Sara's started to ring. 

She opened her eyes, fumbling on her bedside table and bringing it to her ear, "Sidle." She croaked. 

"Sara, you sound awful." Grissom said on the other end, "Are you unwell?" 

"Unwell is a huge understatement." Sara replied, coughing loudly, "If you're calling me to come in, I really can't. I'd love to, but I can't." 

"Sara, it's really important, I need you here. Just for a few hours, okay? As soon as we've got the scene under control, you can go back home and I'll let you take a whole week off." Grissom replied, sounding worried and apologetic, "You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, but this is a high profile case." 

Sara moaned, "Gris, I'm running a fever, I've been puking my guts up, I can barely breath, I can barely stand. Are you sure you want me at your crime scene?" 

"You know I wouldn't ask if it weren't important." Grissom said again, "If you start to feel too bad, I'll send you home." 

Sara moaned again, "Gris, I already feel too bad, just let me stay home. I really don't think this is a good idea." 

"Grissom, you don't understand how sick she is." Greg said, taking the phone from Sara, "She's really bad off. She passed out this morning, she's running a fever of-" he paused, checking the digital thermometer's last reading, "103.6. She's not well enough to be working, she'll contaminate your evidence." 

"It's not up for debate, I need you both in here, now." Grissom replied, still sounding apologetic, "Maple and Constitution." 

Greg hung up Sara's phone, shaking his head at her, "He says we've got half an hour. Do you think you can hang with it for awhile?" 

"Yeah." Sara whispered, standing and slowly walking to the closet, her body shaking with the effort it was taking to remain upright. "Can you go get me some water?" 

"Sure." Greg replied, giving her a concerned glance as he walked out of her room. By the time he came back, she was on her knees in the bathroom, violently bringing up the medication and water she had ingested earlier, while Nick was still with her. Long after her body had run out of things to vomit, she continued to dry heave, her face pale and sweaty, her whole body trembling. 

Greg looked down at his watch, cursing silently and picking up his cell, "Gris, Greg. We're going to be a little longer, Sara had to make a...well, a bathroom stop. Give us another 10 or 15, okay?" 

They arrived at the scene nearly half an hour later, Greg walking next to a slow moving, yet determined Sara. He had to hand it to her, as weak and sick as she had been at home, she had put on her business attitude and was determined to make it through this case. That was the one thing he admired most about her, her inability to go down without a fight. 

"Just take it slow." Greg told her softly as they walked up to the bustling scene, "Don't overdo it. You're still shaky, and that cold medicine can make your head fuzzy at times." 

"I'm going to be such a liability tonight." Sara moaned, allowing Greg to take her kit from her, "With any luck, Grissom will see I'm not faking and he'll send me home." 

"Sara, Greg, I'm glad you're here." Grissom said, falling in step with the duo, "Family of seven. Mother, father, paternal grandmother, 2 daughters, 2 sons. The youngest son, Patrick, age 9, is missing. The two daughters were found dead in their bedroom. Both were shot once, right between the eyes. The older son was found in the kitchen. Shot 3 times in the back. The mother, father, and grandmother were found in their bedrooms, stabbed to death. Sara, I want you working the doors and windows of the first floor, any signs of forced entry, any prints. We need to know if the younger boy was kidnaped or if he's a suspect. Greg, you're with me in the girls' bedroom." 

Grissom stopped walking and turned to Sara, studying her face intently, "You look awful." 

"Thanks, I hadn't noticed." Sara said hoarsely, her head throbbing. The lights from the police cars along with the general noise from the scene wasn't helping her headache in the least bit, and she was fairly certain that she had an ear infection, from the way Grissom and Greg's voices were sounding more and more muffled. She coughed weakly, not surprised that her chest was sore and achy, "After this, I can go home right?" 

"As soon as we get the house processed and get the evidence back to the lab, you're free to go." Grissom responded, concern evident in his voice. It was very unusual for Sara to not want to work. Usually he was forcing her to go home, chastising her for overworking herself to the point of complete exhaustion. "If you don't think you can handle this, let me know and I'll see if Ecklie can send someone in." 

Sara nodded, not even trying to hide her yawn as they walked into the house. The sooner she got her area taken care of, the sooner she could log in her evidence and go home. She wasn't going to allow Grissom to call in one of Ecklie's people, no matter how terrible she felt. She briefly shut her eyes, envisioning her warm bed and soft pillows. That moment couldn't come soon enough. 

"I can't believe you called her in." Nick said, appearing in front of the trio, "Jesus, Grissom, look at her! I know this is a big deal, but with all of the overtime and extra days she puts in? The least you could do is give her a break when she needs it. What would it be? 1 vacation day out of the 10+ weeks she already has built up?" 

Sara shook her head, her eyes pleading with Nick not to cause a scene, "Nick, it's alright, it's only for a little while. Don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine." 

"Don't try to con me, sweetheart, because I've witnessed enough to say you aren't okay." Nick replied, his tone condescending. "I'm just saying that a manager should be more responsible, that's all." 

Sara groaned, seeing Grissom's face contort in anger, "I may not be your supervisor anymore, Nick, but I still have seniority over you, and I still will not tolerate that tone being used with me. Do I need to report to _your supervisor_ that you can't seem to be doing whatever it is she instructed you to do?" 

"Both of you, stop this little pissing contest you are playing." Catherine spoke up, "Grissom, I've finished with the kitchen. Nick, you're supposed to be upstairs in the son's bedroom. Sara, after you're done with the possible entrances and exits, assist Warrick upstairs with the parents. I'll start working on the grandmother." She glanced at Grissom, "If that's okay with you, I mean." 

"Your shift." Grissom responded, motioning for Greg to follow him upstairs. Greg cast a sympathetic look in Sara's direction and then followed Grissom up the staircase. 

Nick reached out and touched Sara's cheek gently, "You going to be okay?" 

"I'll live." Sara replied with a half-smile, "I was doing fine at the lab this morning." 

"You passed out in the hallway." Nick corrected her, "That's far from fine. You should be at home, in bed, getting better." 

"What you have isn't contagious, is it?" Catherine asked, shooting Nick a look that clearly told him to get back to the bedroom he was working on. "The last thing we need is the entire swing shift and graveyard shift being out sick." 

"I don't think it is." Sara replied, irritation evident in her voice, "I'll stay clear of everyone though, just to be safe. It's not like I particularly wanted to be here anyway." 

"That's a wonderful attitude." Catherine snapped, not knowing why she was in the mood to be difficult with Sara, but finding it hard to stop herself. After all the years of tension between the two of them, it flowed naturally. "If you don't like your job, maybe you should quit." 

Sara's eyes narrowed, and she was about to reply with an equally snarky comment, but instead she began to cough, wheezing for breaths until she was able to control it, nearly 3 minutes later. The room started to spin, and she instinctively backed up against the wall, in case she found it hard to hold herself up. Dizziness and nausea filled her entire body, and she tightly squeezed her eyes shut, hoping Catherine would take the hint and leave. When she opened her eyes, she was disappointed to see the blonde staring at her with a hint of concern. 

"You should be at home." 

"Tell that to Grissom, Lord knows the rest of us have tried." Sara replied tiredly, "Let me get to work, I'm ready to call it quits already." 

Catherine shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Don't contaminate any of the evidence." 

"I think I'm a little more professional than that." Sara snapped, pushing herself off the wall and fighting dizziness as she walked to the back door, "Unless you're going to hover over me and watch for mistakes, I've got work to do." 

Sara grabbed her fingerprinting brush and started working, while Catherine watched in silence, concern evident on her face. After a few seconds, she was convinced Sara would be okay, and headed back upstairs to finish processing her area and gather up what needed to go back to the lab. The least she could do was log in all of the evidence so everyone could jump start on processing when they finished at the scene. 

Sara dusted the door frame and handle for fingerprints, and was relieved to find that her mind wasn't as fuzzy while she focused on work as it was when she was laying in bed, miserable, all day. She lifted the few prints she was able to find, then moved to the entrance on the other side of the house, near the laundry room. 

She didn't find any prints on the door, so she woozily made her way back through the house and to the staircase. The burst of energy she had while starting her task had started to wear off, and she found her head and chest aching again, her body feeling like it was full of water, sloshing with every move she made. She hesitated by the stairs, remembering Catherine's order to help Warrick, but the idea of climbing the stairs sounded to tiring and unpleasant, that Sara considered re-printing the kitchen entrance. 

She was on the 4th step when she started to cough, pressing the back of her hand against her mouth and gasping for breath. Her chest felt like it was on fire, the burning sensation starting at the top of her stomach and not stopping until it reached the top of her head. She pulled a bottle of water out from her kit, taking a few small sips while trying to get her body to calm down. She continued up the stairs, a little weaker, but focused on getting her work done so she could get the hell out of there. 

She walked into the master bedroom, her senses immediately tingling, the smell alone enough to make her want to rush back downstairs. The bodies hadn't started to rot yet, but the smell of blood was enough to make her head swim and her stomach reel. There was an overabundance of blood, it covered the bed, the two bodies, the walls, the carpeting, the lamp, every imaginable surface. The wife was on the far side of the room, her bloody hand print smeared on the window as if she had put her hand on it, then slid to the ground. The husband was near the closet, an empty gun case discarded on the floor. 

Warrick looked up as she cleared her throat. "He was stabbed 36 times, she was stabbed 61. Two different knives, he looks more like a meat cleaver, hers looks like a switchblade." 

Sara stared at Warrick, anything to avoid looking at the blood and bodies. His brow crinkled with concern, "You look awful, Sara, you should be at home in bed." 

"I know." She said softly, breathing through her mouth and trying to steady her shaky body. "This place is a mess." 

Warrick took a step towards her, careful not to step in any of the blood, a hard task in this case, "The husband was disemboweled. Still looking for those parts." He stopped as he watched her face pale even more than it already had been, and for a second he considered sending her outside. She looked like she was going to be sick, and while he knew she was always very professional, he wasn't worried about his crime scene as much as his friend, "You okay?" 

Sara nodded, diverting her eyes to the ceiling, then back to the ground with a gasp and a gag. Composing herself, she muttered, "Found your organs." 

Warrick looked towards the ceiling, shuddering as he spotted the husband's inner organs hanging from the ceiling fan, "What the hell?" 

"I...I don't know. I need some air." Sara said quickly, moving towards the door with her knuckles pressed against her mouth. She stopped in the hallway, bending over with her hands on her knees, breathing deeply and trying to calm down. She wasn't some rookie, she could handle this. She was trained to handle this. Oh, she wanted to go home. 

Warrick stepped out and walked towards her, putting his hand on her back, "You okay?" 

"Next time Grissom calls me in when I tell him I'm sick, I'm going to quit. Next time Catherine assigns me to a blood bath, when she's not even my supervisor, I'm going to quit. Next time I let Greg talk me into riding together in one car, when I'll have to wait on him to go home, I'm going to quit." Sara muttered, inhaling deeply, and trying not to cough, because she knew that would start her gag reflex again. 

Another wave of dizziness passed through her, her head pounding harder once it was finished. She backed up against the wall, closing her eyes and trying to breathe deeply. She was going to be okay, she could last a little longer. She had to, she was in front of Warrick, her whole team was here, everyone she would care about embarrassing herself in front of was in this house. 

"Woah, there," Warrick said gently, watching her face pale even further than he could have imagined it ever being, "You want to go outside and sit down?" 

"I'll be okay." Sara responded, slowly straightening and sighing heavily, "The sooner we finish processing, the sooner Grissom will okay me to go home." 

"There's no way I'm letting you back in there, you shouldn't even be working," Warrick chastised, "Let me go talk to Cath or Grissom, and get permission for one of us to bring you home. You need to be in bed, not working a major case. You look like you're going to pass out." 

"I feel like I'm going to pass out." Sara replied, shutting her eyes again as Warrick disappeared through another door. 

A few minutes later, the hallway was filled with CSIs. Warrick and retrieved both Catherine and Grissom, who had been working with Nick and Greg, respectively, and now they were all standing in the hallway, quietly arguing. 

"Oh, come on," Nick's angry voice said, "Just look at her! I'll drop her off and be back here before you even miss me. She shouldn't be here, plain and simple." 

"Nick's right." Catherine pointed out, "Gil, she's in no condition to be working, she needs to see a doctor, and she's a liability to this case. It's not the time to be a jerk, okay?" 

Grissom's eyes darted between Nick and Catherine, "This isn't about me being a jerk, it's about an important case that we need all the help we can get on. It's Sara, she's a dependable and thorough worker, even when she's not giving it her 100 percent. I trust her, and it's only for a few hours." 

"The last thing anyone needs to be around when they've got the flu is a room filled with blood and people's innards strewn around!" Warrick interjected. 

Greg's voice was quiet, but firm enough to stop the entire conversation, "This is great, guys, everyone being so open and caring, but what about what Sara wants? Has anyone asked her?" At everyone's silence, he smirked, "It would be a good start." 

Grissom turned to Sara, who was still tiredly leaning against the wall, "I already told you what I wanted, yet I'm here, aren't I?" She spoke with a firm voice, yet her eyes were shut, her hands trembling slightly. "Go ahead, argue about me like I'm not even here." 

"That's not what we're trying to do," Nick said, his voice sounding slightly hurt, "We're just worried about you, that's all. We care about you." 

"I know." Sara replied, opening her eyes and pushing herself away from the wall, "Gris, I'll be fine until someone's ready to go home. I don't think I could drive myself, and I rode in with Greg." 

"Can't I just drive her home?" Nick asked Catherine, for the fifth time that evening, receiving a stern glare from his supervisor. 

Catherine broke her glare on Nick to turn to Grissom, "I'm going to drop some evidence off at the lab, I'll drop her at her apartment once I'm finished with that." 

Grissom agreed, still looking unhappy that she was going to be leaving before their shift was over...to be fair, their shift hadn't even started yet...but one look at Sara and his face softened. Maybe he was just so used to her being available for work that he forgot that she was human too, and sometimes her body just couldn't handle it. 

Nick stroked Sara's cheek gently, whispering, "I'll come check on you after shift." 

"You don't have to do that." Sara replied, barely able to keep her eyes open through the blinding pain in her temples. She turned to look at him, drawing a deep breath when the pain suddenly went from her temples to the entire left side of her head. 

Nick smiled at her, retorting, "I want to, stop being difficult." 

"Come on, let's get out of here." Catherine interrupted, "I think we've got enough evidence here to warrant a trip back to the lab. They can bring back whatever else they process while we're gone." 

Sara pushed herself off of the wall, preparing to follow Catherine, but instead fell to the floor, unconscious, a few steps away. 

_TBC_


	3. Tension

_Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, I'm glad so many people are enjoying this. I know I made Grissom seem like an ass, but it's going to be important later on, so trust me. I've tried to redeem Catherine a bit in this chapter...again, important for later chapters. _

_Not to much N/S until the end, but we all must endure the in-between to get to what we want. _

_-Bugs'n'Suds-_

**Chapter Three:**

"Really, guys, I'll be okay. I'm just really tired." Sara insisted, struggling against Grissom, who was preventing her from rising into a sitting position, "Guess now you know I wasn't faking, right Gris?" she asked with a half-smile. 

Grissom's eyes narrowed, "I never once accused you of faking, now lay back and rest, we're going to call for an ambulance. You need to go to the hospital." 

"No I don't!" Sara interjected, finally able to push his hands away and sit, trying not to let the dizziness and unsteadiness show, "Grissom, really, I'll be okay. I just want to go home." 

Catherine held her hand up, "Fighting won't do any of us any good. Sara, Nick and Warrick will help you downstairs, Greg and I will get the evidence loaded up, and I'll drop you off at home on my way to the lab." 

"You can't just go roaming through town with evidence in your backseat." Grissom said, his expression showing the obvious shock he felt at the breach of procedure, "I'll call Brass and see if he can drop her off, you head back to the lab." 

Sara's eyes shot daggers in Grissom's direction, "I'm still here, you know. I'll be fine to ride with Catherine, she can log in the evidence, I'll even help her, and she can drop me off at my place. It's not like I'm on my deathbed, it's just the flu." 

"She wouldn't even be here if someone would have listened to her good judgement a few hours ago." Nick said, anger still laced in his words, "But work always comes first, right Grissom? Maybe if you hadn't run her ragged with all of the overtime--" 

"He didn't run her ragged!" Greg interrupted, his loyalty to his team showing as he took a step closer to Grissom, "Sara works as many or as little hours as she wants to. She's dedicated, she'd do anything to finish a case, on or off the clock. You can't blame Grissom for her being sick, you can blame him for making her come in, but you can't pin everything on him." 

"I don't need you to defend me, Greg," Grissom said softly, placing a hand on Greg's arm, "I don't need to be defended at all. One day, if you become a supervisor, you'll see the position I was in. I don't have enough employees to cover what needs to be covered, sometimes we all make sacrifices." 

Nick's eyes shone with anger, and after a few moments of silence, he spoke with a cold voice, "Well, I'm not going to sacrifice Sara just so this house gets processed. I can't believe you, of all people, would." 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Grissom asked, his own voice cold. 

Sara cleared her throat, accepting Warrick's hand as he pulled her to her feet, "Hello, guys? I'm still here! Remember me, the one you are fighting over? If you two are done with this show, I'd love to get out of here." 

"I'll walk you downstairs." Nick said softly, putting his arm around her, "Do you want me to carry you?" 

Sara's head, despite the throbbing, whipped quickly around to look at Nick, and she fought a groan that threatened to escape as the room swayed slightly, "I'm perfectly capable, Nick, sorry to deflate your precious male ego." 

"I was raised to help a damsel in distress, that's how us gentlemen are in my part of the country." 

Sara smirked, "Well, in my neighborhood, my brother and his friends raised me to kick the asses of guys like that." She coughed weakly, her chest burning. A cool sweat broke out over her body, and she leaned against Nick, allowing her eyes to close for a moment, "Should have got a flu shot." 

"Catherine, take her to see a doctor." Grissom ordered, "We all know she won't go on her own." 

"Catherine's got a case to solve!" Sara protested, a frown crossing her pale face, "I'll go tomorrow." 

Grissom's eyes narrowed, "I'll call an ambulance to take you to one. I'm your supervisor, I can do that." 

"Whatever." Sara replied, too tired to argue, and accepted Nick's hand as they began to descend the staircase. By the time they reached the bottom, she was exhausted. Sinking to the bottom step, she rested her head in her lap and waited for Catherine to be ready to leave. 

15 minutes later, they were on their way to the lab, Sara's head resting against the window as she allowed her eyes to shut, fighting sleep as hard as she possibly could. In the drivers seat, Catherine was being deliberately quiet, partly because she could see the pain in Sara's eyes when there was the slightest bit of noise, and partly because she knew that no matter what she would say, it would cause a fight between the two of them. They hadn't been able to get along well in ages. 

She stole a glance in Sara's direction, a frown on her face. She was definitely going to take Sara to see a doctor, it was abnormal for Sara to be so ill, sure, they all had their colds and viruses, but she had never seen anyone look so pale and miserable before. 

"I'll log in the evidence, and we'll go to the Urgent Care clinic, they're open 24/7, and they take our insurance," Catherine said softly, "I know you don't want to go to a doctor, but--" 

Sara held up her hand, stopping Catherine's sentence, "No, it's okay, that sounds fine." 

"You must be feeling really bad then." Catherine observed, "Have you taken anything?" 

Sliding open one eye, Sara responded, "Just about every type of over the counter cold, allergy, and flu medicine they make. Nothing works." Sara started to cough again, pressing one hand against her chest and the other over her mouth. Was this ever going to stop? After a few seconds, the coughing stopped and she was left wheezing for breath, trying to calm her body down and not worry Catherine. 

Catherine was already worried, though. As they pulled into the parking lot, she had second thoughts about logging in the evidence, and was almost tempted to drive Sara straight to the doctor. She watched as Sara's coughs subsided, leaving her pale and clammy, gasping for breath as she held onto her chest, her eyes shining with tears. 

"Do you want to go straight to the doctor?" 

Sara shook her head, unfastening her seatbelt, "I told you I'd help you log in evidence, I'll get some water, take some more aspirin, and then we'll go." 

"If you change your mind, I'll take you, no matter what I'm doing." 

"I'll be fine!" Sara exclaimed, woozily stepping out of the Tahoe and slowly walking to the sidewalk. Seconds later, Catherine was by her side, taking her by the arm and slowly leading her to the building. The last thing she wanted was Sara to pass out again and bust her head open on the cement. 

The first sight they were met with was Ecklie's frowning face. "Willows, Sidle, a word please?" 

Sara audibly groaned as they followed Ecklie into his office, sitting side by side on the uncomfortable chairs he had facing his desk. Catherine glanced from a miserable Sara to an obviously unhappy and angered Ecklie, and pointedly asked, "Do you have a reason for this meeting?" 

"It was brought to my attention that there was an incident at the crime scene tonight." Ecklie said cooly, looking from Catherine to Sara, then back to Catherine, a frown on his face. 

Catherine's eyes darted in Sara's direction, surprised to see Sara staring at the floor, embarrassment staining her cheeks pink. "Sara is ill, her supervisor didn't quite anticipate the extent of her illness until forcing her to work the scene." 

"Are you telling me that you told Grissom that you were unable to come to work tonight?" Ecklie barked in Sara's direction. 

Sara silently nodded, her head throbbing unpleasantly as Ecklie's voice rose slightly, "And after he forced you to meet him at the crime scene, what happened?" 

"I printed the entry points, I went to assist Warrick with processing the bedroom of two of the victims, but I felt ill so I went into the hall." Sara said softly, her own voice echoing loudly in her head, causing her to wince slightly. 

Ecklie's voice rose a little louder, "Catherine, are you telling me that both yourself and Gil saw the appearance of CSI Sidle and you forced her to process the scene anyway? Do you have any idea what kind of risk you're taking with possible contamination of evidence? Not to mention the liability suit that we would receive if something happened to her on the job, after being coerced by her supervisor to work?" 

"With all due respect, it isn't my position to send Sara home. That's up to her supervisor, who felt she was able to perform her job without restriction." Catherine said, her voice tight, her eyes narrow. She glanced at Sara, who was now coughing again, her red cheeks contrasting heavily with her pale face. "If you have any problems with her management, speak to Grissom." 

Ecklie shook his head, his voice still growing louder, "You are the swing supervisor, your shift was called to the scene. Graveyard was there for backup and assistance, therefore, you were responsible for every CSI employee present. Even though Gil has seniority, you were in charge. Do you handle your own team this irresponsibly?" 

"It's not Catherine's fault, Grissom told me I had to tough it out for a few hours then I'd get to go home early. I should have refused to come in, I'm sorry, can you please stop yelling?" Sara moaned, her face contorted in pain. Her head felt like it was being pounded on like a bass drum, her chest felt as if it were on fire, and her stomach was tied up in so many knots that she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand up and follow Catherine out even with assistance. Maybe going to the doctor first wouldn't have been such a bad idea. 

She began to cough again, gasping for breath and doubling over, her chest muscles seizing up as she worried her lungs would crack from the pressure of her incessant coughing. She shut her eyes for a few seconds, trying to take a deep breath, but unable to do so, and she suddenly longed for her bed, anywhere to lay her aching body down and sleep for the next week or so. 

"Go get her some water." Ecklie snapped at Catherine, who was already halfway out of her chair. A few moments later, Catherine returned and handed Sara the cup of tepid water, which only slightly lessened her coughs and wheezes. 

Ecklie turned back to Catherine, his voice lower, but still lethally angry, "I also heard that she passed out, and you didn't call for a medic. You are aware of the operating procedure in this office, aren't you?" 

"Sara insisted she was going to be fine, Greg and Nick were confident her dizziness and weakness were because of dehydration, I was--am--planning on driving her to the doctor as soon as I brought the evidence back. Sara agreed that business needed to be handled." Catherine said defensively, looking towards Sara to back her up, and receiving a nod from the younger woman. 

Ecklie held his hand up, "Give me what you have and get Sara to Desert Palm, I will not have a lawsuit brought up against CSI for neglect of our employees well-being. Catherine, I plan to see you and Grissom in my office at 8 A.M. tomorrow morning to discuss this. No case is more important than our CSI's health, without our employees, there would be no lab, correct?" 

"Yes sir." Catherine grumbled, taking Sara by the hand and pulling her to her feet, instructing her to finish the water and get her equilibrium straight before leading her out the door and into the hallway. Once out of earshot, she muttered, "Jerk." 

Sara managed to crack a small smile, "Well, he almost showed signs of having a heart." 

"He needs to try harder." Catherine smirked, putting her hand against Sara's forehead, "Jesus, girl, you're burning up. After I get you home, I'll have to get back to the lab, but I think I'll send Nick to stay with you, you look like you'll need some help. Shift's almost over anyway. I should have let him stay with you in the first place." 

Sara barely nodded, her eyelids heavy as she sat back down in the Tahoe, using the remainder of her limited energy to fasten her seatbelt. She listened to Catherine quietly talk, although her voice seemed miles away, the movement around her seeming jittery and slow. The last thing she remembered was them pulling out of the lab's parking lot. 

The next time she opened her eyes, she was laying in a hospital bed, changed from her black jogging pants and tank top into a bland hospital down, surrounded by four white walls, a blood pressure cuff on her arm, a tube in her nose, an IV in her right arm, an oxygen mask on her face, and a dark brown haired head on her abdomen. 

She shifted slightly, fumbling with the oxygen mask and whispering, "Nicky?" 

"Oh, Sara, you're awake. Thank God!" Nick exclaimed, stroking her hair gently as he instantly became alert. "Honey, you've got to leave the mask on, you need it, okay?" 

Sara shook her head, questions in her eyes. He squeezed her hand, "Hold on a sec, let me go get your nurse, then we'll explain everything to you." 

Moments later, Nick came back, a relieved smile on his face, "Angie, your nurse, will be in soon. I was so worried about you, Sara, we all were." 

"What happened?" Sara asked, moving her oxygen mask to speak, but replacing it quickly as Nick gave her a stern look. 

Nick squeezed her hand gently, "Cath took you to the hospital, you passed out in the car, you were barely breathing. When you got to the emergency room, they took a chest x-ray, did some bloodwork, and found out you've got pneumonia, and it's a pretty bad case." 

"It's bacterial," The nurse said, walking in the room and finishing Nick's explanation, "We've got you on antibiotics," she gestured to the IV, "And we've been keeping you sedated. Actually, we only sedated you for the first 24 hours, the last 12 has just been your body trying to heal. It seems your friends and supervisor thought you would protest the oxygen and the ng tube." 

"Why do I need a tube?" Sara asked groggily, pulling the oxygen mask away, "And why do I need this stupid thing?" 

The nurse chuckled softly, sticking a thermometer under Sara's tongue and preventing any further questions, "You're very underweight for your height, and the doctor thought it wouldn't be advisable to have you on an 'IV diet' while you were here, and it's suggested that your medication is taken on a full stomach. They've been feeding you through the tube, and will, until you are well enough to feed yourself. The oxygen mask is to make sure you're getting enough oxygen, you were having difficulty breathing, your lungs are very inflamed. Your friend here told us that you were a very, very sick young woman for quite awhile before you came in." 

"I was only really sick for a day or so." Sara corrected her, shooting Nick a glare. 

Nick held his hands up in protest, "I got my info from Greg, who said you'd been sick for nearly a week." 

"And by the rate of your infection, you'd probably been feeling run down and ill for closer to 3 or 4 weeks. You should have seen a doctor sooner," The nurse said sternly, "Your fever is starting to lower, which is a good sign. Dr. Forrester will be in shortly to do a full examination. You can remove the oxygen mask, as long as you're not having any trouble breathing, only while you have visitors." 

Sara pushed the mask aside and gave Nick a tired smile, "How long have you been here?" 

"Since Catherine called us from the emergency room and told us they were admitting you. I was worried sick, Sara! If you ever let things get so bad before seeing a doctor again, I'll kill you myself!" Nick exclaimed, squeezing Sara's hands, "It was just plain awful seeing you like that, it still is, promise me that the next time you've got a cold or the flu that keeps getting worse, instead of better, you'll get yourself checked out." 

Sara struggled to sit, her hand touching Nick's face gently, "I'm sorry, Nick, I didn't mean to worry you. I honestly didn't think it was that serious. I'm sorry I scared you." 

"Sara, I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you, you're my best friend, this could have been so much more serious." He pushed her gently back against her pillows and poured her a glass of water, "The nurse said this wouldn't interfere with your tube, and in all actuality, they'll probably take that out today. It's not coffee, but it's a start. I took some vacation time, I'm going to see to it that you're back up to your 100 percent mark as quickly as possible." 

"Oh, a man on a mission, aren't we?" Sara asked with a tired smile, "Can your plans to get me back up and running wait until I've taken a nap? You should go home and get some sleep yourself, you look like crap." 

Nick's jaw dropped open with a playful smile, "I'll forget you said that, you're as beautiful as always, Miss Sidle." 

"Stop flirting and let the sick woman get some sleep." Sara muttered, lacing her fingers with his, "Honestly, flirting with someone who can hardly move, you're desperate." 

As she drifted to sleep, she didn't hear him whisper, "Not desperate, in love." 

_TBC_


	4. Changes, oh, Changes

Disclaimer and Notes: I own Seasons 1-4 on DVD, but that's all I own. Sorry it took me so long to update, life's been hectic. I should have another one up by the weekend though, pending exam grades and my allotted online time stemming from them. 

Chapter Four: 

Catherine threw a case folder down on her desk, a scowl evident on her face. She was not happy about this turn of events, not in the least. If she hadn't opened her big mouth to Ecklie, she wouldn't be participating in the "CSI Shuffle" as Greg so blatantly put it. 

There had been a meeting to discuss Sara's incident, and the obvious lack of management of the situation. In essence, Ecklie demanded the blame be put on someone, and since Catherine was in charge, he had immediately laid it all on her. She had fought back, saying it was Grissom's place to tend to his employees. She had been the lead on the case, yes, but Grissom was in charge of his own employees, he chose who to call in and who to not. 

After arguing for 45 minutes, Grissom and Catherine agreed to both take the blame, and Ecklie triumphantly dished out the consequences for the lack of management. Sara was being forced to swing shift, Warrick being transferred to nights. 

If Catherine would have just kept her mouth shut, there would have probably just been an oral reprimand, maybe something written up, but instead, she made the one comment that sent the two shifts into turmoil once more. She told Ecklie that in Grissom's position, she wouldn't have called Sara in, she would have heeded Sara's warning that she was too sick to work. At the time, she was angry. Looking back, she wasn't sure if she even would have taken Sara's word without actually seeing her, on a case such as this. 

Either way, she had opened her mouth and stuck her foot right in. Ecklie's consolation over the new staffing arrangements was to offer a second choice, which included demoting both Catherine and Grissom back to CSI's, and hiring/promoting two others to supervise the swing and graveyard shift. 

It wouldn't have been a bad arrangement, except that Ecklie tacked on the part about them not working as a team, like that had worked so well in the past, instead, he'd take all three shifts and randomly reassign them to work days, swing, or graveyard. Catherine had cut her losses and agreed to swapping Warrick and Sara, although she was already mentally trying to decipher a plan to switch them back. 

It was no secret that the two women didn't get along. That was probably the main reason Ecklie suggested it, knowing it would drive them both insane (of course, it wasn't a long drive for either one) and knowing he'd have Sara's badge within a month, if it even took that long. 

Sara came to Vegas for Grissom, stayed in Vegas for Grissom, and would probably leave now that she wasn't working with Grissom anymore. Of course, the recent events may have altered her view of him a bit, seeing how upset and hurt she had been that he didn't trust her judgement about calling in sick. Grissom had always been able to calm her, a bit, they were too much alike for their own good, but Sara working with Catherine's personality was asking for trouble. 

Being short two CSI's, with Sara being out for at least another week or two, and Nick conveniently taking vacation time, which even though she needed the help, she didn't want to deny him, she had borrowed Warrick back to help out on the cases that were piling up, with everyone working the murder. At least, for now, she could pretend that things were still the way they were the week before. 

Nick opened the door to Sara's apartment, his arm wrapped around her as he led her in and guided her to the sofa. She looked a lot better than she had three days ago, her face had slight bit more color, she had stopped coughing as much, although she was still coughing quite a bit, and her fever had stayed down long enough for them to discharge her, which happened three days too late, in Sara's perspective. 

"You really don't need to stay with me." Sara said weakly, her body still sore from her illness, the walk from the car to her apartment wearing her out, "I'll probably just sleep the day and night away, I'm so tired." 

Nick placed her overnight bag on a chair across from the sofa, giving her a smirk, "You're supposed to be tired, Sara, you were really sick. You still are sick, just because they let you come home doesn't mean you're ready to pick up and go to work, you hear me?" 

"I know that, Nick, my ears work, I heard the doctor tell me I was out for at least two weeks, pending a check up." Sara snapped, "I hate feeling like I'm being babysat." 

"I'm not babysitting you," Nick chastised, "I'm looking out for you as a friend. You scared the hell out of all of us, and I don't want you to have a relapse or something. Besides, who's going to help you if you need anything? What if you're too tired to even cook for yourself? Someone has to take care of you, that's that friends do." 

Sara, despite her irritation, gave Nick a smile, "So you'll even cook for me? Can you cook? I mean, besides ordering pizza and picking up a six-pack?" 

"I grew up with a family full of women, of course I can cook." Nick said over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen, "And you need to eat with your medicine, so I'll fix you something right now and prove it." 

"A family full of women, huh?" Sara asked, raising her voice so that it carried into the kitchen, "That explains why you're so feminine." 

Nick's head shot up from the fridge to glare at Sara, "I am _not_ feminine. I'm 100 percent man. Do I need to prove it?" 

"And how would you do that? Strip down to nothing and have your way with me right here on the couch?" She laughed at his surprised expression, "Not that I'd let you do that, mind you, I'm just curious to see how you'll prove your non-feminine side to me." 

"You know what? If you weren't so drugged up, you'd be all over the chance to have me on your couch. I just wouldn't take advantage of a sick woman, that's all." Nick said defensively, his ego deflating a bit at her statement. 

Sara flashed him a bright smile, "Keep telling yourself that, cowboy, keep telling yourself that." 

Nick was silent for a moment, the only sound floating through the apartment being Nick rummaging through the cabinets in Sara's kitchen. After a few minutes, he walked back into the living room, his arms crossed, "Who delivers in this neighborhood?" 

"What? I thought you were a master chef?" Sara asked, barely containing her smile, "Who needs delivery when we've got Emeril Stokes in the house?" 

"I can't cook if you don't have any food," He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to protest, "And I don't count bread that is green, or cheese with mold as food. I think your ketchup is even expired." 

Sara rolled her eyes, "That's why I order take out. Menus are in the drawer under the telephone." 

"I'll stop by the store tonight and pick up a few things. Takeout is not healthy enough to feed someone recovering from pneumonia, Sara, it's not healthy enough to boost the immune system high enough to ward off infections, period." 

Sara rolled her eyes again, "Don't pretend like the trash can outside of your house isn't filled with pizza boxes and Chinese cartons, I've been to your place, I know you don't cook." 

"But I'm not the one sick, now, am I?" Nick grinned, "Go take a nap, I'll wake you up when the food gets here. Veggie pizza or cheese pizza?" 

Sara shrugged, "Either one, as long as no cow or pig bits are stewing in their own fat on top of it, I'm fine." 

"You put that so nicely," Nick replied, making a face, "Do you think you can walk to your bedroom okay? You're still a little shaky." 

"I'll be fine, _dad_, I'll let you know if I need help." 

It was Nick's turn to roll his eyes dramatically, "Sure, because you always let someone know when you need help, Miss I-was-sick-for-nearly-a-month-before-going-to -the-doctor." He motioned to a beige kit they had brought home with them from the hospital, "You need to do a breathing treatment before you go to sleep, it's that time again, but we'll go in your room to do it." 

"You really would do anything to see me in my pajamas, to be in my bedroom with me, wouldn't you?" Sara teased as she slowly walked down the hall into her bedroom, "If you want to hang out in there, all you have to do is ask." 

She bent down and grabbed the pajamas she had discarded when changing for work a few days prior, throwing them in the hamper. Sure, she had only worn them for an hour or so, but they smelled awful. She slid open a dresser drawer, pulling out some grey drawstring pants and a camouflage t-shirt and hastily pulling them on as she heard Nick's footsteps approaching. 

She picked up the tissue scattered around her bed, tossing them in the trash, before pulling her bedspread off and getting a new blanket from her closet, along with a new set of sheets and a new pillowcase. She turned to face Nick, simply stating "germs", and motioned for him to help her re-make her bed. 

After being certain that everything was like it would normally look, down to having Nick bring two empty glasses to the dishwasher, she dropped onto her bed, leaning against her pillows as she slid on the clear oxygen mask, cursing slightly as she tried to work the machine like the doctor had showed her. 

She awoke 45 minutes later, only vaguely aware that she still wore an oxygen mask on her face. Nick was standing over her, shaking her gently, "Pizza's here, Sar, are you hungry?" 

"Yeah, sure." Sara replied groggily. "Pizza's here already?" 

Nick smiled and playfully tapped his watch, "It's been almost an hour, sleeping beauty. I guess you were serious when you said you were tired?" 

"Yeah, I guess I was." Sara replied with a yawn, "Want to eat in here? I'm really tired, I honestly don't feel like moving to the living room." 

Nick grinned, "I'd be more than happy to share a meal in bed with a beautiful woman." 

"You're so lame." Sara replied tiredly, "What do you want to do tonight?" 

Nick rolled his eyes, "Well, first I plan on making sure you get tucked in to sleep, then I'll probably watch TV until I get tired. I may go to the store and buy you some edible food." 

"I don't have to go right back to sleep, we can watch TV in here or something, together." Sara suggested, "If you insist on staying here, it's my duty to entertain you." 

Nick laughed, "Sara, you're in no condition to entertain a rock, much less a person. I'll make you a deal, we can watch a movie together, and if I see you're getting too tired, I'll take it in the living room to finish. You seriously need to take it easy, or else you'll be back in the hospital." 

"Don't even joke about that." Sara warned, her eyes narrowing slightly. 

Nick shrugged, "Who's joking? I'll be right back with your pizza, madame." 

He was back in less than two minutes, a pizza in one hand, two sodas in the other. "It's not as good as pizza and beer, but it's better than pizza and water. Just don't let anyone hear this is what I fed you while you were sick, okay? I'd never hear the end of it." 

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul." Sara smiled, "Nicky, you're a good friend." 

Nick was silent, a smile on his face and a slight blush creeping into his cheeks as he put a slice of pizza on the paper plate he found in Sara's cabinets. There was nothing he'd rather be doing than sitting in Sara's bed, close enough to where they were practically touching, sharing a meal with the woman he had been dreaming about for years. Nothing could deflate the happiness he was feeling right now. 

Well, nothing besides the phone, which chose that exact moment to ring. 

Nick's cell phone, which was still fastened to his belt, starting to ring, and he grabbed it while muttering a few curses under his breath, "Stokes." 

_"It's Catherine."_

"I'm off, you know that. Please tell me you're not calling me in for work." Nick groaned, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He didn't usually mind picking up extra hours, but he knew wherever he was, his mind would be focused on Sara, not the evidence. 

_"No, actually, I don't need you to come in. I do need to speak with you and Sara though, we're having a team meeting with graveyard, and it's on some topics you and Sara need to be briefed on."_

Nick could hear the apology in Catherine's voice without her having to say the words, and he looked over at Sara, whispering, "Cath is having a meeting with both of our shifts, and she needs to talk to us." 

"Tell her she can come by if she needs." Sara yawned, barely finding the energy to eat the one slice of pizza on her plate, "Unless she wants to do it over the phone." 

_"Actually, in person sounds good."_

Nick wanted to laugh at Catherine's eavesdropping skills, it was very much like her to not wait to be told, to just listen to the other end of the conversation. "Greg said he was stopping by later on as well, why don't you just have the meeting here?" He looked to Sara, "Would that be okay?" 

"I really don't care," Sara replied, her eyes half closed, "Just let me get a nap in first, okay?" 

_"I'll talk to Grissom and see if he wants to do it at Sara's. If he does, we'll come after shift, if he doesn't, I'll see you guys tomorrow afternoon before I have to get in."_

"Keep us informed." Nick replied, turning off his phone and looking over to Sara, "She's going to run it by Gris and see if he wants to talk to us all together or wait and give us our bit later. They'll either come by after shift, graveyard, or before Cath's goes in to work tomorrow afternoon." 

Sara nodded, taking a sip of her soda and placing the can on the bedside table, on top of a stack of magazines that Greg had left her with. She placed her paper plate on top of the pizza box, yawning, "I'm full." 

"And sleepy." Nick replied, "It's okay if this is taking a lot out of you, go to sleep, I'll be fine by myself." 

Sara shook her head, murmuring sleepily, "I want you to stay with me." 

"Who can argue with that?" Nick asked with a smile, lifting the pizza box and putting it on a nearby chair, crawling back into bed next to Sara and wrapping his arms around her, "I'll stay as long as you need me to." 

As Sara drifted back to sleep, Nick could have sworn he heard her murmur, "Forever?" 

_**TBC**_


	5. Shock

Five: 

Nick knocked on Sara's bathroom door quietly, "You okay?" 

A few moments later, the retching sounds stopped and her tired voice replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." 

"I wouldn't go that far." Nick said with a wry smile, pushing the door open and helping Sara to her feet, "You're running a fever again." 

Sara rolled her eyes, sighing tiredly, "And how would you know?" 

"I've been sleeping next to you all night," Nick replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "You've been getting warmer and warmer." 

Sara, despite how awful she felt, cracked a smile, "Maybe it's you making me hot?" 

"I know I'm on fire, but believe me, that's not it. Maybe you're overdoing it, leaving the hospital so soon." Nick replied, his voice dripping with concern, "Maybe we should call the doctor." 

Shaking her head, Sara reached for the mouthwash and took a swig of it, spitting it out before replying to his worried statement, "It's got nothing to do with where I'm at. I just wasn't ready for pizza, that's all. Maybe if Emeril Stokes would have whipped up something healthy instead of a heart-attack-in-a-box, I'd be still sleeping." 

"Sure, blame it on me. We wouldn't be here right now if you wouldn't have waited so long to see a doctor...or if you bought normal groceries like the rest of the population." Nick shot back, "Let's get you back in bed." 

Sara allowed him to lead her to her bed, barely finding the energy to cover herself back up, "I'm so tired Nicky." 

"Then get some sleep. I'll be right here, okay? Anything you need, just ask." Nick soothed, stroking her hair gently. He didn't want to tell her, but it worried him to see her so ill, stumbling around as if in a dense fog, her face tired and pale. He knew it was to be expected, she was still slowly recovering, but it was such a strong contrast from the Sara he had always seen before...it was hard to get used to. 

Not that he didn't like taking care of her. That was one part he'd miss once she was fully recovered. It was nice to see she needed someone sometimes, and it was even nicer to know that she was willing to take the help from him. It made him feel special to know she trusted him enough to show signs of weakness in front of him. There was no doubt in his mind that if Warrick was in his place, she would have already sent him packing, no matter how weak and tired she was. 

It didn't take long before her breathing evened out and she was back asleep, curled into a ball on her side, her back pressed against Nick's side. Stifling a yawn, he wrapped an arm protectively around her, resuming the position they had been in until about 20 minutes earlier, and once sure she was well asleep, he closed his eyes and let himself join her. 

Nearly 6 hours later, his cell phone shrilly rang, arousing both of them from their slumber, Sara still cradled in Nick's arms. Nick sleepily pushed the 'talk' button, answering, "Stokes." 

_"Nick, it's Catherine. Would it be okay if Grissom and I stopped over? We spoke to Greg, Sophia, and Warrick between shifts last night, so now we only really need to touch base with you and Sara."_

Nick glanced at Sara, who nodded sleepily, and responded, "No problem, when will you be here?" 

_"Grissom's just finishing up on his case now, and we're going to head on over together as soon as he's done. 45 minutes, maybe an hour?"_

"No problem, we'll be waiting." Nick replied with a yawn, hanging up the phone and groaning, "They'll be here in 45 minutes." 

Sara sighed, "I heard. I guess I should go take a shower, you too. Think they'll want coffee? Breakfast?" 

"Stop playing hostess," Nick instructed, "Take a quick shower, I don't want you over exerting yourself, and don't go around talking like you actually have enough edible food to make breakfast. I'll fix some coffee and that'll be fine for them. Take it easy, it's not like they're expecting you to be fully recuperated. You're sick, enjoy being able to get away with not being perfect for awhile." 

Sara rolled her eyes, tiredly dragging herself out of bed and to her bathroom, a grabbing a fresh towel from the linen closet before entering. She was winded by the time she turned the water on, her chest hurting with every breath she took. By the time she had finished her shower, she was coughing every time she tried to inhale. Glancing at the clock on her bathroom wall, she cursed softly. She was seriously overdue for her medication, it was so unusual for her to sleep so long, she hadn't even thought about taking it when she woke up, since she had taken it right before she fell asleep. 

She managed to dress in a pair of navy drawstring pants and a pale yellow tank top, but by the time she had made it back to her bedroom, without even brushing her hair, she was getting lightheaded from coughing and wheezing so much. She had never been so relieved to see Nick, carrying an orange pill bottle as if anticipating what she would need. 

"Calm down and try to breathe." Nick said gently, taking the beige breathing treatment machine and plugging it into the wall, tossing her the oxygen mask as he began to assemble the parts like the hospital had shown him, "This will only take a minute to set up." 

Sara's face was flushed from coughing, her eyes watering and her hand pressed against her chest, which was radiating with pain. She felt like she was being smothered and stabbed in the chest with a fire poker all at the same time. She inhaled as deeply as she could, which wasn't much, as Nick turned on the machine and sat down behind her, rubbing her arms gently and pulling her to lean against him, hoping the calming gesture would calm her a bit. 

It took nearly 15 minutes for her to start breathing normally again, and Nick was alarmed at how fast her pulse was racing, he was able to feel her heartbeat against his hand from the way he was holding her. "You okay now?" 

Slowly, her body began to resume normal functioning, and within a few minutes, it was like nothing had happened. She gave him an embarrassed smile, to which he rolled his eyes, "I don't think any less of you for being human, Sara. I'm just worried about you, that's what friends do. I brought your medicine, just let me get you a glass or water or OJ, okay?" 

"Water, please." Sara replied with a yawn, already exhausted, although she had slept for over 12 hours the previous night. Suddenly, she was dreading Catherine and Grissom coming over, she didn't feel like doing anything but laying in bed with Nick's arms around her, making her feel warm and safe, as if nothing bad could ever touch her. 

The thought crossed her mind before she even realized it was how she had been feeling, and suddenly she was surprised. Since when had Nick made her feel that way? Sure, they had always been friends, good friends, but now she felt there was something more to it. She shook her head, trying to clear out her thoughts, but only succeeded in making the throbbing in her chest migrate to her head. She wasn't in the mood for things to be complicated, she had just gone through all of that with Grissom, she wasn't sure she was ready for her heart to take a "round two" with Nick. 

Shortly after, when Grissom and Catherine arrived, Sara had to fight tears as she weakly made her way to the living room. She wanted nothing more than to be laying in bed, covered up to her neck, her eyes closed and her mind left to dreaming. Instead, she was going to have to listen, and pay attention, to a work-related meeting. She silently wondered what she would have to do to get out of this meeting that she suddenly didn't want to attend, and thinking back to what had to transpire for her to get out of work, she decided not to tempt fate with asking the question. Instead, she took a spot next to Nick on the couch, leaning her head against his arm, just because she didn't have the energy to hold it up. 

In Catherine and Grissom's defense, they didn't look like they wanted to be there anymore than Sara wanted them to be there. As a matter of fact, Grissom looked like his best friend had just died, and Catherine looked downright angry. 

"What's this about?" Nick asked, putting his hand on Sara's knee reassuringly. He could feel her slightly trembling against him, and he could tell she was exhausted. He was worried about her having a relapse and getting worse, it seemed like as soon as she started getting better, she'd start to feel bad again. He really hoped that was part of the process, and that she really was recovering. 

Grissom sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and looking towards Catherine, who stared at Nick and Sara with tightly pressed lips. After a few seconds, Catherine spoke, "Grissom and I had a meeting with Ecklie." 

"Oh God." Sara said with wide eyes, coming out of her sleepy haze at the mention of Ecklie. She lifted her head slightly, giving her equilibrium a moment to adjust to her new position, then adding, "That couldn't have been good." 

Grissom shook his head, his voice flat, "It wasn't. Ecklie feels that your illness, and the severity of it, was a result of my poor management skills, and while we both tried to smooth things over with him, it didn't work as well as we hoped." 

"You aren't fired, are you?" Nick asked, his face paling slight as the thought came to him. Grissom had shown him nearly everything he knew about being a CSI, it wouldn't feel the same in the lab without him. Sure, they worked different shifts now, but they still got to see each other at least 3 times a week. 

Sara bit her lip, "I'm not fired, am I?" 

"Oh, no, of course not!" Catherine exclaimed, "No one is being fired. Ecklie believes that a few changes are in order, though. As soon as you come back to work--" 

Grissom interrupted her, "But feel free to take as long of a break as you need, we don't want you to risk your health for your job." 

"Right, take as long as you need to get well. As I was saying, when you do come back from leave, you'll be working on swing, and Warrick is being transferred to graveyard," Catherine said, her voice nearly apologetic. "Ecklie is just trying to get everyone all riled up, he thinks that we'll start fighting again, giving him reason to terminate all of us. You know how he is, it probably won't be permanent, only until he finds another way to interfere with our lives." 

"And by 'interfere', she means 'ruin'." Grissom said cooly, "I'm so sorry Sara, I know it's been crazy since they moved everyone around the first time, but there's nothing any of us could do." 

Nick watched as a frown crossed Sara's face, followed by a small smile, "What did Greg have to say about this? You know, Warrick taking my place? Who's he going to flirt with now?" 

"Hopefully not Warrick," Catherine quipped, relieved to see Sara hadn't taken the news too badly. "Nick, I also need to talk to you about your vacation time. I know you took 2 weeks off to stay with Sara and help out..." She glanced towards the pizza box Nick had left on the counter, "And I see you're trying your best..." 

Nick nodded with a heavy sigh, "If you need me to come in sooner, I will. I don't want things to get too backed up." 

"And my doctor thinks I should be well enough to return to work by the end of next week or the beginning of the week after. I can get a release from him, though, if you need the extra help." Sara added, unable to keep the sleepiness out of her voice, although managing to stifle the yawn. "I'm already feeling better." 

Nick shot a look to Grissom and Catherine which told them both Sara was full of it, and Sara kicked him softly, although her eyes were closed, "Stop making that face." 

"What face?" Nick asked innocently, earning a smile from Catherine, and even a half-smirk from Grissom. 

Sara's eyes tiredly opened again, and she pulled her head off of Nick's shoulder, even though she wanted to stay there all day. "I'm sorry, guys, for causing so much trouble." 

"Hey, I should have listened to you, you can't blame yourself for Ecklie being a jerk." Grissom interjected, "You know he looks for ways to torture all of us." 

Sara shook her head, "No, really Gris, I'm sorry. I've gone out of my way to do things to push his buttons recently, and now he's mixing everything up to punish me." 

"Grissom's right, it's not your fault, it's just Ecklie being Ecklie. Don't beat yourself up over it," Catherine said with a worried smile, rising to her feet, "I can see you're still exhausted, and no offense, but you look awful, girl. Go get some rest, I want my new CSI to be in tip top shape when she comes back to work." 

Sara nodded, too tired and weak to protest. Nick led Catherine to the door, but Grissom stayed behind for a few moments, resting his hand over Sara's, "I really hope you feel better...I worry about you, you know." 

"I know you do, but you don't need to, I'll be fine," Sara replied with a tired smile, suddenly more exhausted than she had been the night Catherine had taken her to the hospital. "I guess I'll be seeing you around, then?" 

Grissom nodded, letting his hand linger on top of hers for a moment more, than hurrying to catch up with Catherine. As the door shut behind them, Sara laid down on the couch, suddenly unable to hold her body up any longer. The news had taken a few minutes to really sink in, but now that it had, her head was aching worse than she had ever felt it ache before. 

Nick sat down on top of the coffee table, reaching out to brush the hair from her face as she started to doze off. "Sara? Let's get you back in bed, okay?" 

Sara nodded sleepily, allowing Nick to support her as they walked slowly back into her bedroom, both crawling in bed together, falling asleep not too long after. 

Two weeks later, both Nick and Sara were refreshed and ready to work. Sara had been doing remarkably well, her doctor had told her the day before at her checkup that it was rare that someone responded to antibiotics so well, and so quickly, with the type of pneumonia she had been diagnosed with. 

It was the first day back for both of them, and while Nick was rested and relaxed from being off work for two and a half weeks, Sara was nervous about her first shift with Catherine. They had gotten along decently the few times they had seen each other since Sara had gotten sick, but before that, everyone knew they didn't get along well at all, and that was just working together, Catherine not even being her supervisor. 

Sara followed Nick into the break room, taking a seat and observing the bustle of the lab, it definitely had a lot more going on at this time of day than it did in the middle of the night. Nick handed her a cup of coffee and sat down beside her, looking at his watch, "Catherine's always late, between 13 and 15 minutes usually." 

"That's very...specific." Sara replied, a smirk on her face, "Let me guess, you and Warrick had some spare time on your hands?" 

Nick shrugged, "We're CSIs, it's our job to observe." 

"Speaking of jobs," Catherine said, walking in the break room, two slips of paper in her hands, "We've got two fresh, hot cases tonight. Nicky, double at the MGM. Sara, triple in Henderson, you're with me." 

Both CSI's rose to their feet, Sara barely able to stop her laughter as Nick pointed to his watch and mouthed _fourteen_. Maybe working on swing wouldn't be so bad. Without Grissom and his infamous mood swings, she'd be less stressed out. Without Sophia, she'd be less irritated and, as much as she hated to admit it, jealous. The only one she'd really miss working with is Greg, and that was partly because he was the only one she had been working with lately. He had turned out to be a great friend, if only they could have a shift with Nick, Greg, Warrick, and herself, it would be smooth sailing. 

"I'm driving." Catherine said as they stepped outside, "How are you feeling? Are you sure you're up for working so soon? You still look a little pale." 

Sara smiled at Catherine's sincerity, "I'm feeling a lot better, I'm just tired. It's hard to get back in the swing of things after sleeping away two weeks." 

"It's not sleeping away...it's healing." Catherine pointed out, "It's not like you took vacation time to veg out on the couch and stay in your pajamas." 

"Yet that's a lot of what I did." Sara quipped, fastening her seatbelt. She was silent for a few moments, then said quietly, "I think we need to talk." 

Catherine turned to face the younger woman, her eyebrows raised in surprise, a bit of apprehension on her face. Like Sara, she knew they hadn't been getting along well, and she was suddenly praying they made it through at least the first shift without raising their voices. 

Sara nervously bit her lip, knowing what she needed, and wanted, to say, but not sure how Catherine would react. She hated to apologize, especially when she felt like the other woman was just as guilty as she was, but she knew that if they didn't clear the air between them, Ecklie's plan to get them at each other's throats would succeed only faster. Sucking in a deep breath, she tried to think of the correct way to start the conversation. 

Catherine waited patiently while Sara seemed to gather her thoughts, the nervousness clear on her face. Deciding to give her an out, just in case Sara had changed her mind about whatever subject had gotten her so antsy, Catherine asked, "Is it about you and Nick? Because if you're sleeping together, there's no rule against relationships among co-workers, as long as you're equals and it doesn't interfere with work." 

Suddenly, Catherine wished she had a camera. Sara's jaw dropped and her face blushed slightly, the gears turning her head as she now struggled to find a response almost visible to Catherine. Her mouth opened, then shut, then opened again, saying, "I meant we need to talk about us...about learning to get along." 

Catherine wasn't sure this was going to be a nice conversation, and she was almost positive they wouldn't be speaking (or actually, speaking very loudly) by the time they reached the crime scene. But as she contemplated a way out of the impending conversation, she couldn't help but realize Sara hadn't denied the accusation. 

_Shall I continue?_

_-Bugs N Suds-_


End file.
